


And all the people say

by LilyDiaone



Category: One Piece
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, Canon Compliant, Gen, Portgas D. Ace deserved better, Portgas D. Ace was loved, Portgas D. Ace-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:33:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22867930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyDiaone/pseuds/LilyDiaone
Summary: Five lives Ace changed forever and the one person that changed his.
Relationships: Dadan & Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Garp & Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace, Portgas D. Ace & Portgas D. Rouge, Portgas D. Ace & Sabo, Portgas D. Ace & Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate, Portgas D. Ace & Whitebeard Pirates
Comments: 16
Kudos: 134
Collections: In Memoriam: A Portgas D. Ace Collection





	And all the people say

**Author's Note:**

> Written for @in-memoriam-one-piece on tumblr :)

**1\. Rogue**

She had hoped for a girl. A little girl with her father’s wide smile and his eyes, had dreamt about it while sitting by the window and watching the marines interrogate one women after the other. Looking at him, at this little boy with her eyes and her freckles and her cheeks and her lips and her chin… She couldn’t say she felt bad about him being a boy. He was still beautiful. He was still perfect. This little boy with her face whom she had carried for so long. Her little boy who would never know her. The little boy she would never know. And wasn’t that the worst part of it all? The thing that destroyed her beyond repair. She would never know him. Not really.

Because, see, Portgas D. Rogue was no fool. She knew she was about to die, had known it for all this time, had known since she decided to risk it all for the sake of her baby. Since she bent the rules of reality, did something beyond the realm possibility so her impossible child could life. And here she was hanging on to the last shreds of life just so she could say goodbye.

His face was still red, still dripping with her blood. She hadn’t let Garp take him away to get him washed. She knew she wouldn’t have enough time for him to come back and just for this few seconds she wanted her boy all to herself. Nothing else mattered right now. Nothing except those prexious seconds with her precious boy.

God, before her pregnancy Rogue had never thought much about kids. Sure she thought they were cute but they were also loud and she hadn’t thought they’d be worth the headache. But now her she was witnessing the first seconds of her son’s life. He was crying and it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. And he himself was so beautiful, so very beautiful.

And while she was lying there, cradling her baby closer, she could feel nothing but gratefulness. She was grateful that she got to witness this- the first seconds of his life. And while she knew she would miss all the other firsts of his life: His first steps, his first words, his first time on a ship, she could not be more grateful for what she got. For those precious seconds. Even when she craved so much more. Craved so many other things that she would miss. She’d never see him have a family, never watch him grow old, get everything he wanted from this life and more. But she was still grateful because while she would lose so much, she still got his first seconds of life and that was everything.

The life Rogue knew was no more. It was over and while she wished she could start this new life with her son, she knew their paths were meant to be separate. Her life was over while his was just beginning. Rogue thought it fitting: her last seconds of life were the first of his. She couldn’t protect him anymore but she was glad that at the very least she had managed to give him this first taste of life.

And she didn’t know if Garp would keep his promise. If he would keep their- _her-_ son safe but in this moment there was nothing she wanted more than him- her son- have his whole life ahead of him: Not even her own life. Because she knew this was not the end. No, this was his beginning.

With the last shred of energy that she had in her body she managed to sit up and slowly press her lips to his ear.

“We will meet again, I promise, _Ace_ ”

Portgas D. Rogue died with a smile on her face and holding on to the thought of meeting her son again in the afterlife. Portgas D. Rogue didn’t know that this day would come sooner than she had anticipated, so much sooner.

* * *

**2\. Garp**

Monkey D. Garp was a marine. He was a proud man who would do about anything for the marines. But Garp was also a man of honor though few would believe it. And so he honored his promise to that- _no good son of a-_ to that man. A part of him contemplated forsaking his promise and taking the child straight to headquarters. But looking at this little tiny baby that fit in just one of his hands, Garp couldn’t- it was just a baby. He had done no crimes, no wrong. He just… existed and not even that was his fault. How could he- how could anyone- blame this little thing for existing? No, Garp decided, he would at the very least hide the little boy until he was old enough to take care of himself and that was it.

But that was not it.

When Garp first started in the marines his supervisor told him point black that while he was a strong fighter, he lacked cunningness, basic intelligence and he wasn’t able to lie to save his life. It was funny how he remembered that while he stood before the fleet admiral and the three admirals- the four strongest, most important people in the marines- explaining to them that Baterilla had been nothing but a false lead. No, Roger did not have a child, the Cipher Pol had been wrong. He almost could’ve laughed at their relieved expressions. These people were his friends and family people he had fought along side for years now and he had just lied straight to their faces.

Looking at the little boy now, stepping closer to him on wobbling little- _adorable, cute_ \- legs he couldn’t say he regretted it. Garp had made many decisions in his life and all of them had been made in the name of justice. But just this once Garp found himself bending to someone else, to this little boy that wasn’t even his own.

And suddenly there was a new dream. Where he once thought the day he would finally be rid of Roger’s little brat couldn’t come soon enough another thought had emerged. The picture of a beaming young man in a marine uniform standing along side his grandfather.

And suddenly the little brat was not Roger’s son anymore. He was a boy who would soon fight next to Garp and make the marines proud.

Garp wondered when Rogers brat had stopped being Rogers brat and become his brat instead.

And Ace had been just that to the very end- his little brat. Even when he declared his intention to set sail shadow and become a pirate, to outgrow his father’s. Even when he had turned down the offer to become a Shichibukai, instead joining up with the Whitebeards. Even when he ended up sitting next to Garp on that execution platform that was meant to be where Ace’s life would end.

Garp had never felt as relieved as he did in the moment Ace was finally free of his shackles and he had never known despair quiet as deep as in the moment Ace fell to his knees with a glowing red fist in his chest.

* * *

**3\. Dadan**

Dadan was a coward. She had always known that but it wasn’t like she cared. That was how life worked. You either go and save yourself or, -well, you get yourself killed. She was never too good with words either.

So objectively she was the last person who should be allowed to raise a child. She was selfish and violent and a lousy no good criminal- for crying out loud. _So no, Garp-san, I_ _cannot raise this fucking_ -.

And yet here she was with a baby on her back. A baby that wasn’t just any fucking baby either, no, it was the son of the pirate king. Because of course it was. And worst of all that good for nothing pirate king was dead so she couldn’t even get child support from him. Because obviously that was how Dadan’s life worked. Sometimes Dadan wondered why she hadn’t gone straight to the marines telling them all about this child. There was no way they would hunt her down when she gave them such top secret information. She quickly dismissed the thought as illogical. What kind of marine soldier would believe her anyway?

Her dismissal of the idea had nothing to do with how cute and tiny little Ace looked when he looked up at her with his big eyes. Even as a baby he was never really smiling. What he was doing couldn’t be called anything but a smirk. And she wouldn’t admit it even on her death bed, it was cuter than everything else she had ever seen in her life.

And years later the same smirk was still on that little shits lips. At this point he was uncontrollable, practically an animal, not that she had ever expected anything else from him. He was reckless and selfish and brooding- _and brave and smart and confident-_ and if one of her men had pulled half the shit he did she would’ve murdered them long ago. He was a danger to all of them and especially to her. God, she really hated that little boy. She really should hate him. But she really didn’t.

Just now watching him stand his ground against Bluejam,- the most notorious pirate on the island and refusing to run away. God, -she could’ve smacked him. So for the first time in her entire life Dadan decided she was not going to run away, instead she was going to fight alongside the little brat with fire surrounding them. Of course it had nothing to do with her caring for him, not at all. But Garp would murder her if something happened to him. It had nothing to do with the fact that she could not imagine never seeing his smirking little face again. Before she started fighting she looked at Ace and told him:

“One day you going to get yourself killed, Ace”

Years later when she learned that he had eaten the fire fruit she couldn’t help but laugh (and feel a twinge of pride for her - _little all grown up_ \- brat making a mess of things and leaving his mark on that big world). It would’ve been very convenient the night of the fire, she thought, but of course he would only get it now. Because imagine him making her life a little easier. She decided to smack him for it when she saw him next, that good for nothing brat. Little did she know that she would never get the chance to.

She was holding the newspaper and couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing. Dadan didn’t know pain could feel like this. All the wounds she had gotten in the fire, fighting Bluejam were nothing compared to what that picture of his dead body blasted on the front page was doing to her. In that moment all she could think was that no mother should live to see her son dying before she did.

* * *

**4\. Sabo**

Sabo didn’t know what to think of the boy if he was being honest. In the two days since he had teamed up with him they had been attacked by three different people living in the gray terminal. In the two weeks Sabo had lived on his own before he had met the boy he had been attacked… by absolutely nobody.

The boy just didn’t seem to know when enough was enough. Trouble seemed to follow him wherever he went and if Sabo was being honest he wasn’t sure why he was still meeting up with him. Sure at the beginning it had seemed like a good idea. Sabo was just a kid surrounded by dangerous criminals, criminals he couldn’t beat on his own. And then there was this other kid his age who was in the same situation. Teaming up was just the most logical thing to do.

Turned out the kid was even more dangerous than eighty percent of the other people living in the gray terminal. Sabo couldn’t decide if he was lucky the boy was his ally or not. Well, at least he got by. And even though the boy was never smiling or really loving or anything Sabo had wished for while living at ho- no, that place was not his home, would never be his home- that place. He still felt so refreshed.

Sabo was used to lying, was used to pretending to be someone he wasn’t to get by so he wouldn’t be scorned for who he really was. He hadn’t been ready for someone like Ace. Someone who was so unabashedly himself, with no excuses, no fear. It didn’t matter who you were or what you did, Ace would stand up for himself, always. Even if it wasn’t necessary. And somehow Sabo found himself envying this, envying _him_.

All this time that Sabo had spent in that gigantic dump had been passed with his head kept down, with him not trying to bring any attention to himself. If he was being honest it wasn’t much different than living in high town. He was still just pretending. He was still not free.

But Ace was.

Ace did things without thinking them trough. He was brave and strong and nobody messed with him- not if they knew what was good for them. And weirdly enough, Sabo found himself looking up to him. Sure Ace was little on the slow side but that was what Sabo was there for. What he could contribute in their little team. And Sabo wished he could be like Ace. Just as free and wild and brave and strong.

Ace always got them into trouble but Sabo found himself not caring anymore. So what if he did? They always made it out anyway. Ace would get them out of it because somehow Ace had become something larger than life itself to Sabo.

He was the first person Sabo had really talked to since he had ran away. Ace had been his first friend, his first ally, his first glimpse at real freedom. And more important, Ace had been the first person to accept him for who he really was without judging him or forcing him to feel ashamed for being different.

It was a different kind of freedom, a freedom Sabo had never known.

One day, just like that- Sabo couldn’t really tell when exactly it happened- they were a notorious team. Known all over the gray terminal. Ace was the brawn and Sabo was the brain. And Sabo wasn’t scared about something bad happening anymore because with Ace by his side they were safe. Nothing could ever hurt Ace. Nothing could beat him, nothing could stop him, no, he would always come back. And with Sabo by his side, Sabo who could be reasonable from time to time, nothing could stop them. Grinning up to him with the latest treasure they had stolen in his hand Sabo knew they were unstoppable together.

And finally Sabo learned to set his wild side free. He learned how to be reckless, how to be strong and brave and a little crazy. It was something that followed him through life, be it in the gray terminal or many years later in the revolutionary army. Hell, he was best known for being a reckless idiot if you asked his colleagues. He wouldn’t change it for the world, though. Because what was a bigger freedom than just being unabashedly himself?

But by a horrible twist of faith instead of setting the boy that had finally freed him, free, he had somehow forgotten him instead. Had forgotten, that damn unforgettable boy who had changed his life. Forgotten his brother, his first friend and, in some ways, his savior. So while Ace had been in shackles, Sabo had been off in the world. Only finding the missing puzzle piece when it was already too late. Not being able to help Ace like he had helped Sabo, once upon a time.

* * *

**5\. Whitebeard**

One would expect after having so many children, the thrill of a new one would eventually die down. But it didn’t. Especially not with his newest son on his hands. Though he wasn’t his son- yet. But Whitebeard knew it was only a matter of time until that would change.

His newest son was all fire and not just because of his devil fruit. Everything about him was fire. His spirit, his way of talking, his way of living, of fighting, just everything about him. But there was something more behind that.

Whitebeard had spent many years out on the sea so he considered himself as someone who had seen everything the ocean had to offer. And he just knew there was something more about the boy. There was an underlying sadness and insecurity -a darkness- that he desperately tried to hide. And Whitebeard had to give it to him: for the most part he was successful. But just not with him.

Maybe that was exactly why he had wanted him to be a part of his family, Whitebeard always had a weakness for outsiders, for the ones who were just a little bit broken. He brought them all together, turning them into one big- at times dysfunctional- family. A family that was always honest with each other, knew everything about each other and stayed together despite anything. And Whitebeard wanted that for Ace. Wanted him to safely share his secrets with all of them one day. But Whitebeard also knew that he could not push the boy since that would scare him off instead.

So he decided to let the brat be. At least for the time being. Let him do as he wanted, let him fight and let him get to know his new family on his own terms.

And surprisingly it worked. Soon enough Ace was not only a part of their crew but also a part of their family. Whitebeard couldn’t say that he was particularly surprised about that turn of events. He had wanted him as one of his sons from the very beginning after all.

So the day Ace finally searched him out to tell him what had been torturing all this time came. Whitebeard couldn’t describe how happy that made him. Because Ace was finally accepting his place on their side. As one of them. What had him worried though was the look on his sons face when he told Whitebeard about his heritage.

And if Whitebeard was honest even though a lot of things about Ace had not surprised the Yonko in the slightest, he had to admit that one did. The only thing that was more surprising to him was how Ace expected him to kick him out of the crew just for who his father was.

Roger had been his rival, but Ace was still his nakama, a part of his chosen family, his son and Whitebeard took care of his own.

The relief on his sons face made him smile but that smile was soon dying on his lips with Aces next request.

“You cannot tell anyone, oyjai. They’ll hate me”

It hurt Whitebeard to see that his son still doubted how much his family loved him. Doubted them enough to ask for something like that.

“We’re family. Family doesn’t keep secrets from one another” he had told him firmly. But watching the desperate look on his sons face was his undoing. Edward Newgate loved his family more than anything else in the world and he hated the idea of keeping anything from them but he found himself complying to Aces demands and kept quiet about the connection between his newest son and the late pirate king. Whitebeard had no secrets from his family but in this one case he found himself respecting Ace’s wish. He didn’t like it but he was doing it for Ace.

In the end all the hiding had done nothing. The marines had still found out and now there was no longer any secrets to keep. But there was also no Ace anymore. 

* * *

**+1 Luffy**

Luffy was seven years old and the biggest crybaby Ace had ever met. Not that he had met many children if he was honest. The only child beside himself he knew was Sabo. And Sabo was the farthest thing from a crybaby. Even when he and Sabo had been seven they had never cried as much as Luffy did. Moreover Luffy was dumb. Ace had met a lot of idiotic people but Luffy surly took the cake. And also his powers were stupid.

Luffy was seven years old and he looked at Ace like he was the sun. And Ace had never loved anyone more than he loved his little brother.

For as long as Ace lived, it had been him against the world. Him proving that he was not his father. But that had changed when Luffy came into his life. Now his life wasn’t about proofing anything. Now Luffy was his life. Luffy who gave him about twenty heart attacks a day and answered his yelling with an simple “oops”.

Ace knew he was a burden to everyone in his life. Everyone but one. For Luffy he was anything but a burden because Luffy needed him. Luffy needed his big brother to take care of him because he was stupid and reckless and naïve. Luffy needed Ace to fish him out of the water when he had fallen in. Needed him at night when he couldn’t sleep and wanted to talk the whole night away. Luffy needed him to comfort him when he felt all alone. Luff needed him to chase the loneliness away.

When Ace looked at Luffy and he knew without a doubt that his little brother was not only in awe of him but also loved him deeply. He saw it when he brought Luffy his favorite kind of meat to eat, saw it when he defeated another one of the large forest animals and he saw it when he stopped shitty gramps from hitting his little brother.

The only love that was ever deeper than Luffy’s love for him was the love Ace had for his little brother.

The day Ace set sail had been the worst and simultaneously best day of his life. On one side he could finally show the world what he was made of. Proving to them (and himself) that he was not just a monster with dirty blood in him.

At the same time the thought of his little brother all alone scared him more than anything else ever could. Ace worried about Luffy falling into the water, getting eaten and every other horror scenario he could think of in his overprotective big brother mode. It wasn’t like it was far-fetched. All of those things had happened. More than once. But there was more, he wasn’t just worried about his little brother. The thought of being without him hurt. But Ace knew it’ll be alright, one day out at sea when he had made a name for himself they would met again and then he’d get to be the big brother again.

The worry about his little brother never quiet left him though. Luffy was always on his mind. When he began to form his own crew, when he greeted red hair and even when he finally settled down with the Whitebeard pirates. So when Ace finally saw his brothers first wanted poster, he had been the happiest man in the world. His little brother was out there making a name for himself already- he was safe and fine- and _no Marco he was not crying what are you even talking about._

But most of all it made Ace proud. He had taken care of Luffy and somewhat raised him. And now he was proud of the man his brother had become and he could not wait to meet him again.

So when he heard that his brother was on his way to Alabasta he could not help himself. He had to seek him out.

Ace was happy to see that Luffy had not changed at all. He may have been a little taller and perhaps a little stronger but he was still his dumb little brother. His little brother who trusted Ace to protect, to keep him save. To keep his new crew save. And Ace did just that. If shitty gramps who was a vice admiral and one of the strongest men Ace had ever met couldn’t get him, Ace would make sure that some lowly captain wouldn’t touch his little brother either.

Ace met Luffy’s crew and although he had to leave way too soon he was glad to know he left Luffy in safe hands. And this time he could even make sure his brother had an easier time finding him when he was in trouble (which would be in no time knowing Luffy). Sailing away from the little lamb ship his brother was on made Ace heart clinch but he knew they would be able to see each other again soon and really talk. But first he had to prove that nobody messed with his family and got away with it. First he had to take care of Teach and make sure Thatchs’ death was avenged.

And like Ace predicted he and his little brother saw each other again.

Even though he wished they hadn’t. Ace was a failure who couldn’t even take revenge for his fallen comrade and now he had gone and forced his little cry baby brother to came to save his worthless life. Forced him to come to these terrible places filled with terrible people who were out for his blood. Made Luffy risk his own life for him. And Luffy did risk his life, fought his way through all those marines, beating all the odds, surpassing every expectation. And to everyone’s surprise Luffy managed. He managed to free Ace of his handcuffs and now Ace could go and protect Luffy again just like he always had, just like he should. All was good in the world again.

Except it wasn’t.

There was a war going on around them and blood was being spilled right and left. Ace was angry about those lost lives, lost because of him. But looking at his little brother Ace knew that despite being no good he was loved and wanted. Not only by Luffy but by his whole crew and the rest of his family. And looking at Luffy who still looked at him like Ace was the best thing he had ever known, Ace knew everything was going to be alright.

But it wasn’t.

Because he was stupid and reckless and couldn’t keep a clear head and all he could see was the red first coming down on his brother and his body just reacted. He didn’t feel the impact, didn’t feel the heat when the fist went through his chest. He felt nothing but a deep feeling of gratitude and peace in the knowledge that he had managed to stop the blow before it could reach Luffy.

Because even though Luffy had looked at him like he was the sun the truth was it was Luffy who was the sun. If there was no Luffy, there was no light, there were no smiles and no happiness to be found in this world.

Looking up at his little brother’s face he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. His entire life he had fought the whole world, never backed down from a fight but none of that mattered now. Ace would easily let the world win as long as his brother was safe. And despite the look of complete disbelief and terror on his brother’s face, Ace knew was Luffy was going to be fine.

And in the end nothing else mattered to Ace.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! A little late but I hope you like it. If you find any mistakes please let me now. Special thanks to @Monkey-D-Ace (Tumblr)/Serialjunkie (AO3). 
> 
> Come talk to me on tumblr: pirate-queen-trafalgar-law.


End file.
